


An Acting Game

by LegendsFightHungry



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, EXO (Band), NCT (Band), SHINee, Super Junior, SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Childhood Friends, Dystopia, Existential Crisis, Grief/Mourning, Leadership, Loss of Identity, Major Character Injury, Major Illness, Post-Apocalypse, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29003583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegendsFightHungry/pseuds/LegendsFightHungry
Summary: Gather all the leaders. Hold a meeting. End the world. See what they do with it afterwards.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kim Junmyeon | Suho, Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kim Taeyeon (SNSD), Bae Joohyun | Irene/Lee Jinki | Onew, Bae Joohyun | Irene/Yoo Jimin | Karina, Byun Baekhyun/Kim Junmyeon | Suho, Byun Baekhyun/Kim Taeyeon (SNSD), Byun Baekhyun/Lee Taeyong, Byun Baekhyun/Mark Lee (NCT), Byun Baekhyun/Park Jungsoo | Leeteuk, Byun Baekhyun/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Jung Yunho (DBSK)/Lee Jinki | Onew, Jung Yunho (DBSK)/Lee Taeyong, Kim Junmyeon | Suho & Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Kim Taeyeon (SNSD), Kim Taeyeon (SNSD)/Park Jungsoo | Leeteuk, Kim Taeyeon (SNSD)/Yoo Jimin | Karina, Kim Taeyeon/Lee Taeyong, Lee Taeyong/Park Jungsoo | Leeteuk, Lee Taeyong/Qian Kun, Mark Lee/Lee Taeyong, Mark Lee/Qian Kun
Kudos: 16





	1. Only Leaders

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for rewriting everything. Found a new direction to go with this, and it should be better. Enjoy! :)

_Only the leaders were in a meeting that day. Only the leaders weren't there. Only the leaders didn't get to have it done with, quick and painless._

Mark sat at the end of the stage, or what used to be a stage. Because a stage meant a place to perform so people can watch you, but now there weren't anyone to watch. He kept his eyes locked onto the skinny, frail-looking figure lying flat on the stage floor, limbs spread out like a snow angel. A snow angel who was so cold inside he gave up. 

"Mar-"

"Yeah?!"

Suho paused, while Mark realized he had half yelled in reply and also jumped off the stage. He looked like a scared kid. Well, he was. Not of the cold, or of starving, or of being attacked outside by gangsters. Somehow they all have gotten used to that. Not even of what happened to the members, because at this point none of them would mind having it all end in a flash.

Honestly, Mark was scared of them. His brothers and sisters. Because everyone hurt so much that they might snap anytime, and somehow what Mark feared most would be one of them yelling at him. Even more than being blown up or burnt. It was strange. Being yelled at was something he wouldn't bat an eye at back then, but Mark didn't think he'd be able to take it now. 

Suho signaled him to follow, before walking out of the room. They went into an open grass field. Taeyeon was standing stiffly, waiting for them and looking a little lost. Mark caught a glimpse of what was in her hand, and immediately had the urge to look away. Doesn't seem like a choice now though. 

"This looks like one of the jackets of... your teammates," Taeyeon said. Her voice was soft, almost whispery, warm. 

Mark nodded. He didn't even have to look at it closely. The shiny, plasticky black material wasn't used often. It was Doyoung's jacket in Kick It promotions. 

"It doesn't seem burned or anything," Suho muttered, while Taeyeon turned the jacket back and forth to examine. "Which meant he probably dropped it here when running." 

"So they might have been running from something," Taeyeon said. 

Mark couldn't answer, but he knew where the speculation would lead. They were running from something meant they were attacked. A whole new theory, on top of the possible theory that they were kidnapped, or decided to leave voluntarily. All sounded very unlikely. 

"Excuse me," a light voice almost squeaked. Taeyeon nodded, offering a forced smile to the girl who was about her size. "D-dinner's ready?" 

"Oh, thank you Karina we'll be right there," Suho said. His voice was so deep, so warm, like he was using all his might to make Karina feel safe, and Mark wanted to break down crying at that but all he could do was feel a slight tightness in his chest. It seems like he can feel nothing much nowdays, everything was just hazy. "We'll call Taeyong too," he added. Mark almost sighed but his lungs blocked themselves. 

Taeyong was hit the hardest. He would lie on the floor the entire day, then be painfully cheerful at meals, just like Baekhyun back when things were normal, but he never seemed to understand what was going on, or help with the search. Maybe he snapped. No one knew. No one wanted to find out. Or maybe he knew the search was useless to start with and was just stronger then them all. Who knows. Taeyong had always had a crazy side to him.

Crazy hard. Crazy tough. Crazy strong. Crazy hollow. Crazy.


	2. Acting Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider the time stamp of this story around early 2020

_The global emergency was announced when the disease began pushing death rates in all countries towards levels of that during stone age. While the human race was going towards extinction, and the response of most people was to accept it and wait for their turn._

_It was a strange, sickly sweet period of time, where resources grew abundant as the population shrunk. A world where one was hungry and begging, where people went in crowds to the streets to have picnics and sing alongs with any strangers. The rich gave out wads of cash to random people as if they were pamphlets. No one argued. No one comitted crimes. No one cared about beliefs and values. It was a world humans have always dreamed of living in, only with one condition. Many would die tomorrow, and it can mean all your leftover family members at once. You just have to not care anymore._

_Celebrities likewise, were suddenly handed the life they had always wanted. Those who wanted to hold concerts had their venues always fully booked, because audiences knew they probably wouldn't live to see next year, might as well splurge wherever they wanted. Venue owners opened their spaces for almost no pay, security allowed people to enter with or without tickets, and in the rare cases where people still had to pay, there were always billionaires out in the streets giving out cash. There were no rules. Just laughter. Just joy._

_Artists from anywhere in the world came together to make music and shows, planning things so easily as if they were playdates. Amazing art were made daily and thrown out to the open for anyone to laugh and cry in it, to feel whatever they still had time to feel._

_Those who wanted to relax received a taste of living with privacy and respect. Fans no longer clambered for pictures, since they were of no use anyway. People now simply approach them with a cup of coffee and start chatting like old friends._

_It was Kris who called Victoria to tell her about the meeting, SM was calling all previous leaders for a final project, a goodbye to all fans from all the groups they ever had including everyone who left. She arrived the next day, strolling casually into the building and ending up on the carpet three seconds later when Amber launched onto her._

_SM felt heavenly with its air distilled into purely the sparkles of talent and excitement. Everyone was having the time of their lives, enjoying music and dance as freely as possible. The leaders settled into the meeting room while eating snacks and teasing each other like children, light-heartedly struggling to coax the curious members who wanted to enter with them, especially those from groups who have long been separated. It took as much time to detach Tao from Suho as it took Taeyong to keep all his members out. And Taeyong had twenty-three of them._

_The door was closed for fifteen minutes. They waited for the CEO for fifteen minutes. It took them sixteen minutes to realize it was quiet outside._

_There was no one._

_Absolutely none._

_Yet the staff outside passed by like nothing happened, answering they saw nothing._

_They didn't lose their members. It couldn't be that because they were all slowly dying of a disease, and the last time Victoria checked, when you die of a disease your body remains where you were. Not to mention it was almost impossible for the entire building of idols, and only tge idols, to get infected and die within fifteen minutes. So they must be alive. Somewhere. But where, and for how much longer?_

_***_

It's been two weeks. All twelve of them were still in the empty building, feeling their world come crashing back down while people continued living their fantasies outside. 

So many questions. Do they look for the members? They clearly couldn't simply ignore their friends disappearing. Yet the fact that they left might mean they wouldn't want the leaders to find them. But why? Technically sooner or later they all say goodbye, and in some cases like Victoria's, they already said goodbyes long ago. 

"So.. now what?" A smooth, velvety voice asked. Victoria smiled at it. What a beautiful coincidence to lead a group which name matches your voice, as compared to leading a group that reminds people of the time your struggled with middle school math. 

"Who knows?" Victoria hadn't moved yet when Irene's head rested on her shoulder. "If it was up to you, what would you want?" 

"If I knew, I'd be doing it."

Victoria nodded. 

"The rest are still looking for clues?" 

"Some of them. Taeyong is just doing nothing these last few days. Karina spends her time cooking with Leeteuk oppa." 

"And you?" Victoria was about to put a hand around Irene, but the smaller girl pulled away. 

"I'm worried about you."

"What about me?" 

Irene collapsed onto her and began sobbing. Victoria held her close and froze. 

"Just act like I'm crying," Irene muttered into her shirt. "Make it obvious. I'm can't whisper to you this is the only way." Victoria began rocking slowly as if to comfort Irene, stroking the latter's back. She was surprised to feel herself clicking into acting mode. "We're being watched. Everywhere. Some of the staff know what's going on, I heard them." Victoria rested her head onto Irene's, making it look affectionate when in fact she was listening as closely as possible. 

"They said Karina's will be released first after the wipe-out ends." Victoria pulled a breath in. Released. Meant they were held captive somewhere. After the end. Could it be ? "Someone's-" 

"Are you okay?" A very deep voice asked too loud, from behind. Victoria coughed violently while Irene screamed. Then Victoria felt her shirt actually becoming wet.

"Wha-I'm sorry, what happened?" Had things still been free of worry and simply waiting for death, Victoria would've laughed at Kris's terrified face, wide-eyed and mouth hanging open. But now wasn't the time for jokes. It was no longer the short-lived ideal world. And maybe the world was never that nice. Maybe it's instead a scarier place than Victoria could ever imagine. For someone to wipe out almost the entire human race. 

Victoria stood up, patting Irene's back. "Come on, talk to him," she said. Irene breathed heavily, fake coughing a few times while brushing her hair backwards weakly. Commendable acting skills, which seemingly managed to drive Kris very concerned. When Irene buried her face in his shoulder, he stiffened so much that Victoria had to glare him down. 

Until Irene said loud enough even for Victoria to hear, "Act, damnit. It's all an acting game. 


	3. Chapter 3

Baekhyun had witnessed the behavior for a few days, and he decided it was finally a day too long. Faking calmness, he approached the sprawled figure on the stage who was beginning to look more and more like a rag doll. Whatever little weight Taeyong had before all this had fled yet that was nowhere near the most heart-wrenching part. It was the half open mouth gaping at the ceiling. The empty eyes blinking irregularly and their random flinches sending electric shocks to Baekhyun's gut. 

He sat cross-legged half a metre away, expecting to be completely ignored. The room was so big, so still. All the seats looked the same, barely visible under a single streak of light slipping in through the opening from backstage. Time was slower than water dripping from roof leak at the far end. They had all the time in the world. Baekhyun had imagined sitting there saying whatever he could think of until he ran out of words, then waiting in silence, letting the gazes and the breaths seep through the air persuade Taeyong to stop dying slowly. Baekhyun was prepared to wait however long it would take. 

He did not prepare for the case that Taeyong turns to him immediately. 

"Hyung." The croaky whisper felt like sandpaper on Baekhyun's ears. "Finally." 

"Finally...what?" 

"You came." 

"What?" 

"Someone came." 

*To be continued"


End file.
